Divided nation . . . England line up for 2010 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine

“I considered the Premier League to be my title. So I was never going to walk into the England dressing room or the canteen and open up to Frank, to Ashley Cole, John, Joe Cole at Chelsea, or Steven and Jamie Carragher at Liverpool.

“I wouldn’t open up because of the fear that they would then take something back to their club and use it against us, to make them better than us.

“I didn’t want to engage with them in that sense.”

Rio, now a BT Sport pundit, was capped 81 times by his country and enjoyed a trophy-laden career at United, including six league titles and a Champions League.

English players were at the heart of their clubs’ success but being hailed as the most talented crop since 1966 did not prevent failure on the international stage.

Frank, centre, and Rio are happy to talk since their retirement from the game

The former skipper said: “I didn’t realise what I was doing was hurting England at the time. It was only after I sat back and thought, ‘F***ing hell, this is what happened!’

“I was so engrossed with winning with Man United that nothing else mattered.”

The Three Lions crashed out of two World Cups and a European Championships in the quarter-final between 2002 and 2006. They did not qualify for Euro 2008 and were thrashed by Germany in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup.

London-born Rio broke through the ranks at West Ham as a teenager. He says former Hammers teammate and now fellow pundit Frank also believes club rivalries damaged England’s chances.

England never got further than the quarter-finals of a major tournament, despite having a talented pool of players

While he blamed poor management as well for the Three Lions’ failures, Rio told The Times Magazine how teammates wilted under the pressure of public expectation and the fear of losing.

He said: “You get into the squad and you’re just elated to be there. It’s like, ‘Wow, this is the stuff of dreams. All I’ve done is think about this moment and I’ve achieved it now, oh my God, blah blah blah’.

He was so focused on constant success at United that even manager Sir Alex Ferguson — who is recovering from emergency surgery on a brain haemorrhage — once had to tell him to calm down. During celebrations after their 2008 Champions League victory over Chelsea, the centre-back wanted to know about potential transfer targets who could help the club repeat their success the following season.

But Sir Alex told him: “For f***’s sake, enjoy the party, man.”

Looking back, Rio says it was “a fear of failure, fear of not winning, fear of not being considered among the best” that prompted him to ask his manager, now 76, about his plans.

Rio retired from football in May 2015. His wife Rebecca, 34, died from breast cancer the same month.

LEAVE IT AT THE DOOR

I WAS a first-hand witness to the era of the “golden generation”, writes chief Sports Reporter MARTIN LIPTON.

That label from former FA boss Adam Crozier became an unforgiving anchor weighing down each squad, but perhaps things are changing now.

There is no real animosity between Manchester City and Spurs, teams likely to contribute eight of this summer’s England World Cup side.

We must learn from Real Madrid and Barcelona players, who parked incredibly bitter club rivalries at the door of the Spanish team hotel as they won European titles either side of their 2010 World Cup victory.

England players have got to want it to be different, too. That is the biggest challenge of all.

The loss and sudden realisation that he was now a single parent to their three kids was laid bare in last year’s BBC documentary Being Mum And Dad. He says he is “learning every day” to raise Lorenz, Tate and Tia — who were nine, six and four when their mum died.

She has helped him cope with the challenges Rio and his family have faced since they lost their much-loved Rebecca.

Talking about that, he said: “I was made aware straight away I had to be much more open emotionally with my kids and enable them to be emotional as well. So that they can actually feel comfortable in those grieving moments.”

Rio’s straight-talking punditry has quickly made him a favourite with viewers but with a clothing label, restaurant, foundation and production company to run, he sometimes struggles to juggle commitments.

He said: “There was a parents’ evening recently that got mixed up. I thought I was just going to my little boy’s one but I was supposed to go to my little girl’s too.

Rio Ferdinand does press ups with girlfriend Kate Wright on his back

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